José Manuel Vázquez-Rodríguez

Nefropatía inducida por contraste y fracaso renal agudo tras cateterismo cardiaco urgente: incidencia, factores de riesgo y pronóstico

Introduction and objectives. The aim was to investigate the incidence and prognosis of, and predictive factors for, acute renal failure following urgent cardiac catheterization. Methods. The study involved 602 consecutive patients who underwent urgent cardiac catheterization. Acute renal failure (ARF) was defined as an increase in serum creatinine level ≥0.5 mg/dL within 72 hours following the procedure. Predictive factors for and the prognosis of ARF were evaluated in an initial cohort of 315 patients, and a risk score was derived. The risk score was validated in a second cohort of 287 patients. The median (interquartile) follow-up time was 1.3 years (0.8-2.0 years). Results. Seventy-two of the 602 patients (12.0%) developed ARF. In the initial cohort of 315 patients, the following factors were predictors of ARF: cardiogenic shock at admission (odds ratio [OR]= 4.56), diabetes mellitus (OR= 2.98), time to reperfusion >6 hours (OR= 3.18), anterior myocardial infarction (OR= 2.61), baseline serum creatinine level ≥1.5 mg/dL (OR= 3.51), and baseline serum urea level ≥50 mg/dL (OR= 3.00). A risk score based on these variables was constructed in which cardiogenic shock = 3 points and each of the remaining variables = 2 points. Patients in the validation cohort were divided into five risk categories: in those with 0 points, the incidence of ARF was 1.2%; with 2-3 points, 8.7%; with 4-5 points, 12.5%; with 6-7 points, 46.2%; and with ≥8 points, 66.7% (P<.0001). Cox regression analysis showed that ARF was a powerful predictor of total mortality (hazard ratio [HR]= 5.97, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.54-14.03; P<.0001) and of a major cardiovascular event (HR= 3.29, 95% CI, 1.61-6.75; P=.001). Conclusions. The incidence of ARF after urgent cardiac catheterization is high. Cardiogenic shock,

Management of iatrogenic radial artery perforation

The aim of this study was to evaluate a new protocol allowing coronary angiography to be performed transradially in spite of the occurrence of iatrogenic radial artery perforation during catheterization. Nine patients with iatrogenic radial artery perforation were managed conservatively by inserting a long arterial sheath in the damaged radial artery up to the brachial artery, after which the diagnostic and/or interventional procedures that had motivated transradial catheterization were completed via the protected radial artery. Radial angiography performed immediately thereafter showed no extravasation, and no major vascular complications developed during follow‐up. The day after the procedure, two patients had asymptomatic radial occlusion, but the other seven patients had normal radial pulses and reversed Allen test responses showing normal perfusion. A conservative management technique, installation of a long arterial sheath not only promotes resolution of iatrogenic radial artery perforation but also allows the procedures motivating catheterization to be completed transradially. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2004;61:74–78.

Prevalencia, causas y pronóstico de las «falsas alarmas» al laboratorio de hemodinámica en pacientes con sospecha de infarto de miocardio con elevación del segmento ST

Introduccion y objetivos. Determinar prevalencia, causas y pronostico de las «falsas alarmas» al laboratorio de hemodinamica (FALH) en una red regional de angioplastia primaria. Metodos. Registro prospectivo de 1.662 pacientes remitidos para angioplastia primaria entre enero de 2003 y agosto de 2008. Se definio FALH como ausencia de lesion coronaria causal. Resultados. En 120 pacientes (7,2%; intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95%, 5,9-8,5) no se identifico ninguna lesion coronaria causal. De ellos, 104 (6,3%; IC del 95%, 5,1-7,4) recibieron un diagnostico alternativo a IAMCEST, 91 (5,5%; IC del 95%, 4,3-6,6) no presentaron enfermedad coronaria significativa y 64 (3,8%; IC del 95%, 2,9-4,8) presentaron marcadores de dano miocardico negativos. Los diagnosticos alternativos mas frecuentes fueron: infarto con onda Q previo (18 casos), alteraciones inespecificas del segmento ST (11), pericarditis (10) y discinesia apical transitoria (10). La mortalidad a 30 dias fue similar en los pacientes con y sin lesion causal (el 5,8 frente al 5,8%; p = 0,99). La prevalencia de FALH fue discretamente superior entre los pacientes remitidos desde los servicios de urgencias de hospitales no intervencionistas sin evaluacion previa por un cardiologo que entre los remitidos por cardiologos desde el servicio de urgencias del hospital intervencionista (el 9,5 frente al 6,1%; p = 0,02; odds ratio [OR] = 1,64; IC del 95%, 1,08-2,5). No observamos un exceso de FALH entre los pacientes remitidos por medicos de UVI Moviles-061 (7,2%; p = 0,51; OR = 1,37; IC del 95%, 0,79-2,37). Conclusiones. Hemos observado una prevalencia de FALH del 7,2% de acuerdo con el criterio de ausencia de lesion coronaria causal. Nuestros resultados indican que diferentes modelos de activacion del laboratorio de hemodinamica podrian justificar discretas variaciones en la prevalencia de FALH.

Prevalence, etiology, and outcome of catheterization laboratory false alarms in patients with suspected ST-elevation myocardial infarction

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES To investigate the prevalence, causes and outcome of catheterization laboratory false alarms (CLFAs) in a regional primary angioplasty network. METHODS A prospective registry of 1,662 patients referred for primary angioplasty between January 2003 and August 2008 was reviewed to identify CLFAs (i.e. when no culprit coronary lesion could be found). RESULTS No culprit coronary lesion could be identified in 120 patients (7.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.9-8.5%). Of these, 104 (6.3%, 95% CI, 5.1-7.4%) had a discharge diagnosis other than ST-elevation myocardial infarction, 91 (5.5%; 95% CI, 4.3-6.6%) had no significant coronary disease, and 64 (3.8%; 95% CI, 2.9-4.8%) tested negative for cardiac biomarkers. The most frequent alternative diagnoses were: previous Q-wave myocardial infarction (18 cases), nonspecific ST-segment abnormalities (11), pericarditis (10) and transient apical dyskinesia (10). The 30-day mortality rate was similar in patients with and without culprit lesions (5.8% vs. 5.8%; P=.99). The prevalence of CLFAs was slightly higher in patients not previously evaluated by a cardiologist and referred from emergency departments in hospitals without catheterization laboratories than in those referred by cardiologists from emergency departments at hospitals with such facilities (9.5% vs. 6.1%; P=.02; odds ratio=1.64; 95% CI, 1.08-2.5). The prevalence of CLFAs was not significantly higher in patients referred by physicians with out-of-hospital emergency medical services (7.2%; P=.51; odds ratio=1.37; 95% CI, 0.79-2.37). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of CLFAs was 7.2%, with the criterion of no culprit coronary lesion. Our findings suggest that different patterns of referral to catheterization laboratories could account for small variations in the prevalence of CLFAs.

Late thrombosis of paclitaxel-eluting stents: long-term incidence, clinical consequences, and risk factors in a cohort of 604 patients.

BACKGROUND Late thrombosis is the major safety concern of drug-eluting stents, but its incidence in common clinical practice remains controversial to date, especially beyond the first year after stent implantation. We sought to investigate the incidence, clinical consequences, and risk factors of late thrombosis after drug-eluting stent implantation. METHODS Consecutive patients (N = 604) who received > or = 1 paclitaxel-eluting stent(s) (PES) between June 2003 and February 2005 at our institution were enrolled. Clinical characteristics and major outcomes were reviewed to detect cases and predictors of late and very late definite PES thrombosis (LDT) of PES, as currently defined by the Academic Research Council. RESULTS During long-term follow-up (median 34.3 months, IQR 8.6), 17 cases of LDT were noted (cumulative incidence 2.8%, 95% CI 1.7%-4.5%). Most of LDT were very late thromboses (14 cases, 82%). Late and very late definite PES thrombosis appeared at a steady rate (incidence density 1.1% patient-years). Late and very late definite PES thrombosis was related to a high risk of all-cause death (HR 3.2, 95% CI 1.3-7.9) and cardiac death (HR 6.0, 95% CI 2.3-15.6). Withdrawal of antiplatelet therapy, left ventricular ejection fraction, and average stent diameter per patient were independent predictors of LDT in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Late and very late definite PES thrombosis may be more frequent in a real setting than anticipated by initial experimental and observational studies but is keeping with more recent scientific evidence. It seems to occur at a constant rate during long-term follow-up and is associated with a high risk of overall and cardiac death.

Angioplastia primaria en el Area Norte de Galicia: cambios asistenciales y resultados tras la implantacion del programa PROGALIAM

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES To analyze changes in healthcare delivery and results for primary angioplasty at Centro Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña following implementation of the PROGALIAM protocol. METHODS Observational registry of 1434 patients referred for primary angioplasty between 2003 and 2007. Results under PROGALIAM (May 2005 - December 2007; n=963) were compared with those from the preceding period (January 2003 - April 2005; n=388). RESULTS After implementing PROGALIAM, there were increases in the number of primary angioplasty procedures (preceding period, 14.4 cases/month; PROGALIAM, 32.2 cases/month), mean patient age (preceding period, 61.3 (11.9) years; PROGALIAM, 64.2 (11.7) years; P<.001), and the percentage of patients referred from peripheral hospitals and treated after normal working hours. Overall median first medical contact-to-balloon time increased (previous period, 106 min; PROGALIAM, 113 min; P=.02), but decreased significantly among patients referred from noninterventional centers (previous period, 171 min; PROGALIAM, 146 min; P<.001). Percentage of cases with an first medical contact-to-balloon time <120 min remained unchanged among interventional-center patients (preceding period, 69%; PROGALIAM, 71%; P=.56) and increased among patients at noninterventional centers, although it remained low in this subgroup (preceding period, 17%; PROGALIAM, 30%; P=.04). Thirty-day mortality (preceding period, 5.2%; PROGALIAM, 6.2%; P=.85) and 1-year mortality (preceding period, 9.5%; PROGALIAM, 10.2%; P=.96) remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS Implementation of PROGALIAM allowed us to increase the percentage of patients receiving primary angioplasty without jeopardizing the clinical results of this treatment.

Percutaneous Retrieval of a Lost Guidewire That Caused Cardiac Tamponade

Central venous access techniques are commonly used for diagnosis and treatment, especially in critical care units. Complications may arise in as many as 15% of these procedures, although loss of the complete guide wire as a result of deficient insertion with the Seldinger technique has rarely been reported.1 A 48-year-old man was admitted to the burn unit in critical condition after an explosion in a fireworks factory. He needed mechanical ventilation and multiple central venous catheters. During insertion of a central venous catheter through the right femoral vein with the Seldinger technique, inadvertent loss of a 60-cm guide wire occurred. The guide wire was visible in chest x-rays …

Angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism and restenosis after coronary angioplasty in unstable angina pectoris.

We studied the relation between angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion gene polymorphism and restenosis in Caucasian patients who underwent coronary angioplasty for management of unstable angina pectoris. Our results indicate that, in contrast to previous reports in Japanese patients, no association exists between angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphism and the development of restenosis in Caucasian patients with acute coronary syndromes.)

Statin therapy and contrast-induced nephropathy after primary angioplasty

A recent study suggested that statin therapy may prevent contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) following primary angioplasty. Our aim was to assess the effect of statins in this setting in a larger population. We evaluated 589 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction who underwent primary angioplasty at our institution. Contrast-induced nephropathy was defined as an increase in serum creatinine by > or =0.5 mg/dL within 72 h following the procedure. Overall, 69 patients (11.9%) developed CIN. The incidence of CIN in the group on statins was 15.9%, as compared with 10.8% in the group not taking statins (p=0.2). Thus, we did not observe a protective effect of statin therapy on CIN development after primary angioplasty.

Timely reperfusion for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: Effect of direct transfer to primary angioplasty on time delays and clinical outcomes

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the preferred reperfusion therapy for patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) when it can be performed expeditiously and by experienced operators. In spite of excellent clinical results this technique is associated with longer delays than thrombolysis and this fact may nullify the benefit of selecting this therapeutic option. Several strategies have been proposed to decrease the temporal delays to deliver PPCI. Among them, prehospital diagnosis and direct transfer to the cath lab, by-passing the emergency department of hospitals, has emerged as an attractive way of diminishing delays. The purpose of this review is to address the effect of direct transfer on time delays and clinical events of patients with STEMI treated by PPCI.